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A signatory puts his or her signature on a document that is also signed by others. In 1215 the English barons revolted against King John and forced him to join them as a signatory to the Magna Carta. This agreement stated the barons' own duties to the King but also assigned the barons clear rights and limited the King's power over them. Though the Magna Carta did nothing for the common people, it's often been called the first step toward democracy in the English-speaking countries.
Examples of signatory in a Sentence
a signatory of the Declaration of Independence
Recent Examples on the Web
With 125 current signatory countries, only the Philippines and Burundi have ever withdrawn from the court as Hungary intends to do.
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Justin Spike, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2025
All countries in the 27-member European Union, including Hungary, are signatories, but the court relies on member countries to enforce its rulings.
—Arkansas Online, 4 Apr. 2025
The group made clear the signatories are expressing their own views and not those of the National Academies or their home institutions.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 1 Apr. 2025
Lithuania also withdrew from the international treaty against cluster munitions this month, becoming the first signatory ever to do so.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2025
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Justin Spike, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2025
All countries in the 27-member European Union, including Hungary, are signatories, but the court relies on member countries to enforce its rulings.
—Arkansas Online, 4 Apr. 2025
The group made clear the signatories are expressing their own views and not those of the National Academies or their home institutions.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 1 Apr. 2025
Lithuania also withdrew from the international treaty against cluster munitions this month, becoming the first signatory ever to do so.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for signatory
Cite this Entry
“Signatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/signatory. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
signatory
noun
sig·na·to·ry
ˈsig-nə-ˌtōr-ē 
plural signatories
: a signer with another or others
signatories to a petition
especially
: a government bound with others by a signed convention
signatory
adjective
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